Our Youth Are Not For Sale To The Millitary: No to the DREAM Act!
Senator Richard Durbin, Democrat from Illinois announced July 13 that he plans to re-introduce the DREAM Act as an amendment to H.R. 1585, the Department of Defense authorization bill. This is the main war-funding bill now before Congress and will definitely pass in the coming weeks. Various amendments are currently being debated and may be added to it, including ones promoting war against Iran as well as the one planned by Durbin on the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM)” Act.
The government has already used the blackmail of offering citizenship to any undocumented person 18 or older if they enlist in the military, with about 35,000 undocumented youth and workers already serving and about 8,000 enlisting yearly. While citizenship is the promise made, in an estimated 20 percent of cases, it is not kept. Many of the families involved have angrily protested this blackmail, as it has often meant death and severe mental and physical injury to those who enlist and serve in Iraq.
The DREAM Act is being presented as an opportunity for “relief and education” for the hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth in the country. Many of the youth have been here for years, are graduating from high school and are fluent in English and Spanish. Others are newly arrived. Some have a parent or sibling who is a citizen. But they are all being profiled and targeted for the military. Just as the No Child Left Behind law requires schools to turn over the lists of their students to the military or lose federal funds, the DREAM Act also has a military component that goes even further. Using the promise of education, it will in fact mean required military service for large numbers of youth.
The DREAM Act, as currently written, allows the youth deemed eligible, (those Durbin and the military refer to as the “cream of the crop”) to obtain conditional permanent residency status for a period of six years — at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security. At the end of the period, citizenship may be granted if the person has maintained “good moral character,” and has “acquired a degree from an institution of higher learning in the U.S. or completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor’s degree in the U.S.” or “has served in the Armed Forces of the U.S. for at least two years” and received an honorable discharge. Participation requires registering with the government. It also requires either going to school or joining the army, or the youth will be deported, even if they have lived most of their lives in the U.S.
Durbin, in announcing his plans to present it as an amendment, made clear that its main role is for the military. He said “Many in the Department of Defense believe, as I do, that the DREAM Act is an important part of making certain we have talented young men and women ready to serve in our military.” He added, “The DREAM Act would address a very serious recruitment crisis that faces our military.” He added that the Army had missed its monthly recruitment quota by more than 1,000 recruits in June and in May. He brought out the broad rejection of the military among youth by saying that the Army is only able to get recruits because it has lowered its standards, with 11.7 percent of recruits having criminal backgrounds, and another 20 percent not having graduated high school.
Durbin also quoted military experts anxious to get their hands on the undocumented youth. Undersecretary for Defense David Chu said, “There are an estimated 50,000-65,000 undocumented young adults who entered the U.S. at an early age and graduate from high school each year…the DREAM Act would provide these young people the opportunity of serving the United States in uniform.” A professor at West Point said, “Passage of the DREAM Act would be highly beneficial to the United States military. The DREAM Act promises to enlarge dramatically the pool of highly qualified recruits of the U.S. Armed Forces.” Senators Hagel of Nebraska and Lugar of Indiana joined Durban in supporting the Act. Other Democrats sponsoring the amendment include presidential candidates Clinton (New York) and Obama (Illinois), as well as Leahy (Vermont), Kerry (Massachusetts), Lieberman (Connecticut), Menendez (New Jersey), Bayh (Indiana), Feinstein and Boxer (California), Murray and Cantwell (Washington).
Given the general level of poverty and racism faced by undocumented youth and their families, the military is already targeting them. Durban sited a 2004 study that found that “45 percent of Hispanic males and 31 percent of Hispanic females between the ages of 16 and 21 were very likely to serve in the Armed forces.” The percentage able to get into and afford college for two years is nothing close to that, making this aspect of the DREAM Act a possibility for a small minority. It is also no doubt why the military experts can claim that the DREAM Act will “enlarge dramatically” the pool for recruits.
The DREAM Act provides the Pentagon with the means to secure a huge pool of recruits at a time when they are facing increasing resistance, among the troops and from youth refusing to be canon fodder in aggressive imperialist wars. It is a criminal means to force young people who otherwise meet the usual criteria for citizenship to be denied it, while forcing them to join the military in a time of war. It also puts in law a double standard for citizenship. Those whose parents happen to be documented immigrants face one standard, while those who are undocumented face another. These youth are singled out and must meet a whole series of requirements, including required military service if they cannot attend college. As well, the youth are subject to deportation while having committed no crime at all.
Today, the government is targeting these youth, but they could easily extend the same criteria to all youth in the country. Say No to the DREAM Act and No to War! Our Youth Are Not for Sale to the Military!
The government has already used the blackmail of offering citizenship to any undocumented person 18 or older if they enlist in the military, with about 35,000 undocumented youth and workers already serving and about 8,000 enlisting yearly. While citizenship is the promise made, in an estimated 20 percent of cases, it is not kept. Many of the families involved have angrily protested this blackmail, as it has often meant death and severe mental and physical injury to those who enlist and serve in Iraq.
The DREAM Act is being presented as an opportunity for “relief and education” for the hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth in the country. Many of the youth have been here for years, are graduating from high school and are fluent in English and Spanish. Others are newly arrived. Some have a parent or sibling who is a citizen. But they are all being profiled and targeted for the military. Just as the No Child Left Behind law requires schools to turn over the lists of their students to the military or lose federal funds, the DREAM Act also has a military component that goes even further. Using the promise of education, it will in fact mean required military service for large numbers of youth.
The DREAM Act, as currently written, allows the youth deemed eligible, (those Durbin and the military refer to as the “cream of the crop”) to obtain conditional permanent residency status for a period of six years — at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security. At the end of the period, citizenship may be granted if the person has maintained “good moral character,” and has “acquired a degree from an institution of higher learning in the U.S. or completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor’s degree in the U.S.” or “has served in the Armed Forces of the U.S. for at least two years” and received an honorable discharge. Participation requires registering with the government. It also requires either going to school or joining the army, or the youth will be deported, even if they have lived most of their lives in the U.S.
Durbin, in announcing his plans to present it as an amendment, made clear that its main role is for the military. He said “Many in the Department of Defense believe, as I do, that the DREAM Act is an important part of making certain we have talented young men and women ready to serve in our military.” He added, “The DREAM Act would address a very serious recruitment crisis that faces our military.” He added that the Army had missed its monthly recruitment quota by more than 1,000 recruits in June and in May. He brought out the broad rejection of the military among youth by saying that the Army is only able to get recruits because it has lowered its standards, with 11.7 percent of recruits having criminal backgrounds, and another 20 percent not having graduated high school.
Durbin also quoted military experts anxious to get their hands on the undocumented youth. Undersecretary for Defense David Chu said, “There are an estimated 50,000-65,000 undocumented young adults who entered the U.S. at an early age and graduate from high school each year…the DREAM Act would provide these young people the opportunity of serving the United States in uniform.” A professor at West Point said, “Passage of the DREAM Act would be highly beneficial to the United States military. The DREAM Act promises to enlarge dramatically the pool of highly qualified recruits of the U.S. Armed Forces.” Senators Hagel of Nebraska and Lugar of Indiana joined Durban in supporting the Act. Other Democrats sponsoring the amendment include presidential candidates Clinton (New York) and Obama (Illinois), as well as Leahy (Vermont), Kerry (Massachusetts), Lieberman (Connecticut), Menendez (New Jersey), Bayh (Indiana), Feinstein and Boxer (California), Murray and Cantwell (Washington).
Given the general level of poverty and racism faced by undocumented youth and their families, the military is already targeting them. Durban sited a 2004 study that found that “45 percent of Hispanic males and 31 percent of Hispanic females between the ages of 16 and 21 were very likely to serve in the Armed forces.” The percentage able to get into and afford college for two years is nothing close to that, making this aspect of the DREAM Act a possibility for a small minority. It is also no doubt why the military experts can claim that the DREAM Act will “enlarge dramatically” the pool for recruits.
The DREAM Act provides the Pentagon with the means to secure a huge pool of recruits at a time when they are facing increasing resistance, among the troops and from youth refusing to be canon fodder in aggressive imperialist wars. It is a criminal means to force young people who otherwise meet the usual criteria for citizenship to be denied it, while forcing them to join the military in a time of war. It also puts in law a double standard for citizenship. Those whose parents happen to be documented immigrants face one standard, while those who are undocumented face another. These youth are singled out and must meet a whole series of requirements, including required military service if they cannot attend college. As well, the youth are subject to deportation while having committed no crime at all.
Today, the government is targeting these youth, but they could easily extend the same criteria to all youth in the country. Say No to the DREAM Act and No to War! Our Youth Are Not for Sale to the Military!
